Pantnagar

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Pantnagar | type = city | latd = 28.97| longd = 79.41
state_name = Uttarakhand
district = Udham Singh Nagar
skyline = Pantnagar Campus.jpg
skyline_caption = Pantnagar University Campus
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude =
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 35,820| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =
postal_code =
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website = usnagar.nic.in/
footnotes =

Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, of Uttarakhand.

It is famous for having the first agricultural university of India since 1960 and to have bred amongst the best agriculturists and horticulturists globally. Previously it was called Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University, or Pantnagar University,it is now known as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology. The university is famous as the birth place of green revolution in India. The university facilities are growing and advancing as India goes through a boom phase.

Overview

The university town is located in the district of Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand and lies at an altitude of 243.8 m above the mean sea level and 29° N latitude and 79° E longitude.

It is in fact a small town and university immersed into one. Their are two main markets or shopping areas in Pantnagar which are Badee Market ("Big Market") and Chhoti Market ("Small Market).

There are also two main parks which are Gandhi Park and Ambedkar Park both dedicated to important Indian freedom fighters.

Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location as well as a foreign exchange university bringing and sending students from and to other countries.

Pantnagar university is unique in providing an excellent education with hands-on experience in related fields. Best known for its agriculture and technology colleges, Pantnagar university has a much bigger presence throughout the world; however, its geographic footprint is quite small. Diverse population at Pantnagar provides ample of choices for various cultural and social activities.

The Campus has fields, a network of roads, housing colonies, street lighting, a telephone exchange, hospitals, marketing centres, a water supply section, 6 primary schools and 3 secondary schools. The main campus lies in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttaranchal at 29° N latitude and 79° E longitude at an elevation of 243.8 m above the mean sea level. This main campus has the area responsibility for the entire Uttaranchal representing plains, Tarai, Bhabar and hill areas. However, to provide service to the hill region its other stations are situated at Ranichauri (Tehri district), Majhera (Nainital district) and at Lohaghat-Sui (Champavat district). There are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical staff, 631 administrative and ministerial personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total strength of 2878. The number of students in the University ranges between 2800-3000. Thus, the teacher taught ratio is about 1:6 and student-staff ratio is about 1:1.

Colleges

There are 10 colleges in the University
# College of Technology
# College of Agriculture
# College of Home Science
# College of Basic Science & Humanities
# College of Veterinary Sciences
# College of Fisheries
# College of Agri-Business Management
# College of Post Graduate Studies
# College of Hill Agriculture and Forestry (off-campus)
# VCSG College of Horticulture (off-campus)

History

After independence, development of the rural sector was considered the primary concern of the Government of India. In 1949, with the appointment of the Radhakrishnan University Education Commission, imparting of agricultural education through the setting up of rural universities became the focal point. Later, in 1954 an Indo-American team led by Dr. K.R. Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR, was constituted that arrived at the idea of establishing a ‘Rural University’ on the land-grant pattern of USA. As a consequence a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and some land-grant universities of USA, was signed to promote agricultural education in the country. The US universities included the universities of Tennessee, the Ohio State University, the Kansas State University, The University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Missouri. The task of assisting Uttar Pradesh in establishing an agricultural university was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959. Dean, H.W. Hannah, of the University of Illinois prepared a blueprint for a Rural University to be set up at the Tarai State Farm in the district Nainital, UP. In the initial stage the University of Illinois also offered the services of its scientists and teachers. Thus, in 1960, the first agricultural university of India, UP Agricultural University, came into being by an Act of legislation, UP Act XI-V of 1958. The Act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant, the then Chief Minister of UP. The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on 17 November 1960.

The G.B. Pant University is a symbol of successful partnership between India and the United States. The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 31 other agricultural universities in the country

The credit for starting the functioning of the University without losing any time goes to the warm and resourceful personality of the first Vice-Chancellor, late Dr. Kenneth Anthony Parker Stevenson, who could keep people fruitfully engaged on the university farm, the labs and the classrooms despite the lurking fear of wild animals roaming the area. The other Vice-Chancellors to be remembered for their distinctive contributions in the development of the University are :

* Raja Bajrang Bhadur Singh (20-12-64 to 18-1-66)
* Dr. Dhyan Pal Singh (28-1-66 to 19-1-75)
* Shri Shiv Prasad Pandey (20-1-75 to 20-4-77)
* Dr. Dharma Pal Singh (22-10-77 to 22-6-78)
* Mr. Narendra Shankar Mathur (1-8-78 to 12-5-80)
* Mr. Anand Sarup (27-8-80 to 7-2-83)
* Mr. Kripa Narayan (9-2-83 to 21-1-87)
* Dr. Kailash Nath Katiyar (27-1-87 to 26-7-87)
* Dr. Mahatim Singh (31-7-87 to 30-7-90)
* Dr. Hari Govind Singh (31-7-90 to 17-12-93)
* Dr. Suresh Chandra Mudgal (17-12-93 to 18-2-97)
* Dr. Surendra Bahadur Singh (18-2-97 to 17-2-2000)
* Dr. J. B. Chowdhary (17-2-2000 to 15-4-2002)
* Dr. Prem Lal Gautam(18-6-2002 to 11-10-2007)
* Dr. B. S. Bisht(From 9-08-2008)

Communication

Pantnagar has the only airport (Code:PGH) in the Terai of the Kumaon region. Though there are no commercial services, some carriers plan to start operations soon as the airport is continued to be built and finalised. At the moment there is an Aviation School currently training pilots.

Pantnagar is served by two railway stations:

* Pantnagar Station at "Nagla" on the Bareilly-Nainital Highway.
* Haldi Road Station at Haldi Road on the Delhi-Nainital Highway.

Uttarakhand Roadways connects the town to various nearby cities and towns like Haldwani, Udham Singh Nagar (previously known as Rudrapur) and Bareilly.

Tata Nano

It is widely believed that in consideration of the recent land-disputes at Singur, in which one or more land-loser farmer(s) committed suicide, Tata Motors may shift its Tata Nano plant to Pantnagar to avoid the harm being caused to its image at Singur.

ee also

*Tata Nano